Learning Objectives

• Identify the nature and role of logistics in flight catering

• Identify the key logistics issues

• Evaluate the key logistics decisions

• Review the major logistics activities

Introduction

As we have already seen in this book, flight catering is mainly logistics and very little cooking. When the very large numbers and variety of items which must be loaded for passenger service during a flight are considered, together with the need for them to be loaded at widespread locations, the complexity of logistics is obvious. Logistics is concerned with adding value and reducing waste across the entire flight catering system. It is particularly concerned with non-consumable or non-disposable stock items (crockery, glassware, trays, etc.), although increasingly it is addressing other types of inventory too (particularly alcoholic beverages and duty-free items).

In order to use these stocks effectively and efficiently, logistics is concerned with:

• material demand forecasting

• equipment sector (or shelf) life

• sourcing of products

• contracting suppliers

• managing purchase contracts

• transportation of stocks

• warehousing of stocks

• inventory management of stocks and 'dwell time' (time not in use)

• stock balancing across the network

• galley and trolley planning

Given the importance and scale of logistics in flight catering, it might be argued that this whole book is really devoted to this topic. In fact, logistics as a 'boundary-spanning process' (i.e. a process that goes across traditional boundaries of firms or within firms) has only relatively recently been recognised within the industry. One of the reasons that logistics has been relatively uncoordinated to date is...